Natural Enemies of Alfalfa Weevil, \u3ci\u3eHypera Postica\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in Minnesota

Alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica, is present throughout Minnesota. How- ever, economically damaging populations seldom occur, due to a combination of natural enemies and adverse climatic conditions. Five natural enemies of alfalfa weevil were found in Minnesota. Microctonus aethiopoides (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a parasitoid of adults, was recovered from 43 of 65 counties surveyed during 1984 and 1985. Tetrastichus incertus (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Bathyplectes curculionis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), para­sitoids of larvae, were each recovered from 13 of 15 counties surveyed during 1991-1993. Bathyplectes anurus, another parasitoid of larvae, was recovered from one county In 1991, four counties in 1992, and six counties in 1993. Zoophthora phytonomi (Entomophthora: Entomophthoraceae), a pathogen of larvae, was recovered from 14 of 15 counties surveyed in 1991-1993. Winters with low minimum temperatures and little snow cover were detrimental to the weevil. Usually, southeastern Minnesota has milder winters and higher alfalfa weevil populations than other areas of the State. However, even here, because of natural enemies, weevil populations seldom reach economically damaging levels

Impact of Amateur Educational Video Viewing on Language Acquisition of Preschool Children

Child language-learning is a complex process that varies for each individual child. Researchers have found that children learn from viewing professional television programs specifically designed for children, such as Sesame Street. Professional television programming principles can be adopted to produce amateur educational videos. Video may also be a viable option to provide repetitive models to improve vocabulary acquisition within speech-language pathology. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of direct stimulation with amateur educational videos on a child\u27s general and specific vocabulary acquisition. A six-week experiment included an initial two-week control period, a two-week experimental period involving amateur educational video viewing, and finally, a second two-week control period. During the experimental period, the children were separated into two groups, a one-time viewing group and a repeated viewing group. At the end of each two-week period, general and specific vocabulary skills were assessed. The children were tested individually for general vocabulary skills using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - Revised (PPVT-R), Forms L and M. Specific vocabulary knowledge was assessed individually using a clinician-designed twenty-five word receptive language assessment based on vocabulary presented in the video. Analysis of variance repeated measures yielded significant results for specific vocabulary skills at a .005 level of significance. There were no significant differences between the subjects\u27 scores for any of the testing sessions. Results for general vocabulary knowledge were not significant. These findings support the conclusion that amateur educational video viewing can positively impact specific vocabulary knowledge. The increase in specific vocabulary knowledge following video viewing may be, in part, promoted by these experiences. The results have some implications for speech-language pathology. 1) Video can provide the same stimulation over and over again. 2) Amateur video viewing can increase specific vocabulary acquisition. 3) Amateur video may give clinicians an opportunity to develop their own videos to provide stimulation. 4) Video therapy may be more time and cost effective for both clients and professionals

Impact of Amateur Educational Video Viewing on Language Acquisition of Preschool Children

Child language-learning is a complex process that varies for each individual child. Researchers have found that children learn from viewing professional television programs specifically designed for children, such as Sesame Street. Professional television programming principles can be adopted to produce amateur educational videos. Video may also be a viable option to provide repetitive models to improve vocabulary acquisition within speech-language pathology. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of direct stimulation with amateur educational videos on a child\u27s general and specific vocabulary acquisition. A six-week experiment included an initial two-week control period, a two-week experimental period involving amateur educational video viewing, and finally, a second two-week control period. During the experimental period, the children were separated into two groups, a one-time viewing group and a repeated viewing group. At the end of each two-week period, general and specific vocabulary skills were assessed. The children were tested individually for general vocabulary skills using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - Revised (PPVT-R), Forms L and M. Specific vocabulary knowledge was assessed individually using a clinician-designed twenty-five word receptive language assessment based on vocabulary presented in the video. Analysis of variance repeated measures yielded significant results for specific vocabulary skills at a .005 level of significance. There were no significant differences between the subjects\u27 scores for any of the testing sessions. Results for general vocabulary knowledge were not significant. These findings support the conclusion that amateur educational video viewing can positively impact specific vocabulary knowledge. The increase in specific vocabulary knowledge following video viewing may be, in part, promoted by these experiences. The results have some implications for speech-language pathology. 1) Video can provide the same stimulation over and over again. 2) Amateur video viewing can increase specific vocabulary acquisition. 3) Amateur video may give clinicians an opportunity to develop their own videos to provide stimulation. 4) Video therapy may be more time and cost effective for both clients and professionals

Surveyor nose fairing mode survey

Shell mode frequencies, shapes, and damping values for Surveyor nose fairing under simulated flight delta pressure and nose cone tip rotation during pressure simulatio

Spin squeezing in nonlinear spin coherent states

We introduce the nonlinear spin coherent state via its ladder operator formalism and propose a type of nonlinear spin coherent state by the nonlinear time evolution of spin coherent states. By a new version of spectroscopic squeezing criteria we study the spin squeezing in both the spin coherent state and nonlinear spin coherent state. The results show that the spin coherent state is not squeezed in the x, y, and z directions, and the nonlinear spin coherent state may be squeezed in the x and y directions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figs, revised version submitted to J. Opt.

ASAS celebrates 10 years of publishing Animal Frontiers: The Review Magazine of Animal Agriculture

In July 2011, the first issue of Animal Frontiers was published by an international consortium including the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), the Canadian Society of Animal Science (CSAS), and the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). Development of an international, science-based, open access journal that provided review articles and global perspectives on the complex dynamics associated with the production of animal-sourced foods was an accomplishment in and of itself, but the ability to meet the needs of a diverse community of readers, including scientists, policy makers, educators, and the general public set Animal Frontiers apart from other journals. In 2012, the American Meat Science Society (AMSA) joined the consortium and added a valuable perspective regarding muscle-based meat products and the meat science industry. To keep the journal going (and growing) and maintaining its primary objectives across three publishers, three editors-in-chief, and an increasing number of competing journals, including numerous predatory journals, adds another level of success to the 10-year history of Animal Frontiers